J&L Cutlery Pattern Welded Seax
Oct 28, 2019 23:53:49 GMT
Post by Voltan on Oct 28, 2019 23:53:49 GMT
J&L Cutlery Pattern Welded Seax
by Jason L McEntee
Intro:
This review is just a bit late in coming, as the piece in question has been sitting in my desk drawer since June of 2018. A chain of events unfolded that summer to delay my review, topped off by the devastating loss of my beloved labrador Trixie to cancer. That happened in February of this year, and as a result, I went into full shutdown mode until just recently. Two months ago, my wife gave a birthday surprise that lifted my spirits from the darkness...she rescued a beautiful, sweet, one year old Plott Hound/Border Collie mix from the local shelter. We named her Jenny, and she has brought joy back into my life once again. Now, on to business...
In June of last year, my friend and heat-treat master L Driggers (fallen) informed me he was sending a piece my way for a review. I was to be the second person to do a review, and after I finished, I was to send it on to fellow forum member Razor to review it next. It is now on it's way to him, so let's get to my review!
Disclosure:
I do business with L Driggers (fallen) regularly, as he heat treats all the blades that I make. He did NOT compensate me in any way for this review, nor am I able to keep the Seax, as I am to send it on to another member for it's next review. I do not work for J&L Cutlery...I live halfway across the country from them. On an unrelated note, I love Indian food, and cannot get enough...
First Impressions:
In June of 2017, Lyn sent me a couple of folded 5160 knives to test out. He was just starting to dabble in folding steel and pattern welding. When I unpacked the Seax, I was immediately impressed. His skills had dramtically improved in the course of a year. Keep in mind, at the time, he was doing all on his forge welding by hand...
Stats:
Overall Length: 13"
Blade Length: 7"
Handle Length: 6"
Blade Width at Handle: 1 & 1/8"
POB: -1/4" From Handle
Weight: 7 oz
The Blade:
The blade, as told to me by Lyn, is of a three bar construction---wrought iron for the spine, with a 15 layer 15N20 & 1095 twist pattern, with a 1095 cutting edge. The previous reviewer used water stones to touch up the edge after his testing, and he appears to have marred the pattern a bit near the tip. That aside, the pattern is gorgeous. The welds look very tight, and there are no delaminations. The edge the prevoius reviewer put on it is razor sharp. I'll let the photos tell the rest...
The Handle:
The handle is made of Ash, and is a hidden tang construction. There is a simple, yet elegant "X" carving on both sides. The contruction is solid, and all is held together nice and tight. It has a slight hourglass taper to it, and feels comfortable in hand.
Handling:
With the POB a quarter inch back from the edge of the handle, it is a quick and lively piece. The abscence of a guard could make thrusting a little dangerous, but I see this as more of a slashing type of weapon anyway. Also, while I'm far from a historian, this type of construction is accurate for this type of knife if i'm correct...
Cutting:
Since the original edge from the maker was redone after the knife's first review, I did not do any test cutting. As a maker and sharpening service operator myself, I know the current edge is very sharp. Razor is much more creative in cutting testing, and I'll let him put this Seax through the motions next.
In closing, Lyn & Jeri turned out a beautiful, lively piece. Again, as this piece is over a year old, I'm certain Lyn's pattern welded blades will keep getting better and better. I haven't checked in very much in the last year, so I need to catch up on Lyn's recent works. He has recently picked up a power hammer, so it's game on now I would imagine...
by Jason L McEntee
Intro:
This review is just a bit late in coming, as the piece in question has been sitting in my desk drawer since June of 2018. A chain of events unfolded that summer to delay my review, topped off by the devastating loss of my beloved labrador Trixie to cancer. That happened in February of this year, and as a result, I went into full shutdown mode until just recently. Two months ago, my wife gave a birthday surprise that lifted my spirits from the darkness...she rescued a beautiful, sweet, one year old Plott Hound/Border Collie mix from the local shelter. We named her Jenny, and she has brought joy back into my life once again. Now, on to business...
In June of last year, my friend and heat-treat master L Driggers (fallen) informed me he was sending a piece my way for a review. I was to be the second person to do a review, and after I finished, I was to send it on to fellow forum member Razor to review it next. It is now on it's way to him, so let's get to my review!
Disclosure:
I do business with L Driggers (fallen) regularly, as he heat treats all the blades that I make. He did NOT compensate me in any way for this review, nor am I able to keep the Seax, as I am to send it on to another member for it's next review. I do not work for J&L Cutlery...I live halfway across the country from them. On an unrelated note, I love Indian food, and cannot get enough...
First Impressions:
In June of 2017, Lyn sent me a couple of folded 5160 knives to test out. He was just starting to dabble in folding steel and pattern welding. When I unpacked the Seax, I was immediately impressed. His skills had dramtically improved in the course of a year. Keep in mind, at the time, he was doing all on his forge welding by hand...
Stats:
Overall Length: 13"
Blade Length: 7"
Handle Length: 6"
Blade Width at Handle: 1 & 1/8"
POB: -1/4" From Handle
Weight: 7 oz
The Blade:
The blade, as told to me by Lyn, is of a three bar construction---wrought iron for the spine, with a 15 layer 15N20 & 1095 twist pattern, with a 1095 cutting edge. The previous reviewer used water stones to touch up the edge after his testing, and he appears to have marred the pattern a bit near the tip. That aside, the pattern is gorgeous. The welds look very tight, and there are no delaminations. The edge the prevoius reviewer put on it is razor sharp. I'll let the photos tell the rest...
The Handle:
The handle is made of Ash, and is a hidden tang construction. There is a simple, yet elegant "X" carving on both sides. The contruction is solid, and all is held together nice and tight. It has a slight hourglass taper to it, and feels comfortable in hand.
Handling:
With the POB a quarter inch back from the edge of the handle, it is a quick and lively piece. The abscence of a guard could make thrusting a little dangerous, but I see this as more of a slashing type of weapon anyway. Also, while I'm far from a historian, this type of construction is accurate for this type of knife if i'm correct...
Cutting:
Since the original edge from the maker was redone after the knife's first review, I did not do any test cutting. As a maker and sharpening service operator myself, I know the current edge is very sharp. Razor is much more creative in cutting testing, and I'll let him put this Seax through the motions next.
In closing, Lyn & Jeri turned out a beautiful, lively piece. Again, as this piece is over a year old, I'm certain Lyn's pattern welded blades will keep getting better and better. I haven't checked in very much in the last year, so I need to catch up on Lyn's recent works. He has recently picked up a power hammer, so it's game on now I would imagine...